FP1 at Monza kicks off the Italian Grand Prix. The crowd is thrilled by Ferrari's one-two finish, with Hamilton's red car leading the way, followed by Leclerc's. But this is only the first free practice session. McLaren, in fact, seems to have largely hidden in the shadows. A good start for Verstappen, as well as for Williams, which currently appears very competitive on this circuit. George Russell has had problems at the end, forced to abandon his car on the track due to a reliability issue.
FP1 kicks off the Italian GP: Alex Dunne returns to McLaren
The Formula 1 cars are finally back on the high-speed circuit of the temple of speed. For these FP1 sessions of the Italian GP, Oscar Piastri in McLaren and Colapinto in Alpine are taking their places respectively. Alex Dunne and Paul Aron. The two young drivers have already participated in some free practice sessions during the 2025 season. In particular the Irishman Dunne made his mark during FP1 Austrian GP, where he had positioned himself among the first.
Returning to the track, after thirteen minutes of activity on the track the first in the timesheets is Max Verstappen on medium tires, who is complaining over the radio that his car is sliding a lot on the track. In fact, since these first minutes of testing, other cars have also been running long at the chicane at Turn 1, as well as in other parts of the circuit. In this regard, Isaac Hadjar, fresh from his first career podium, he received a black and white flag for not having respected the race director's instructions regarding the escape routes at the Roggia variant.
Behind the Dutchman we find Land Norris. The English driver, however, decides to return to the pits. The mechanics are, in fact, putting on his a more aggressive front wing specification And, since it's Monza, it's more relaxed. The clock continues to tick, as do the cars on the track. The speed of the two Williams is astonishing at the moment. In fact, Albon and Sainz got behind Verstappen, in second and third place. Two good performances, both achieved thanks to laps completed on hard tyres. Meanwhile, twenty minutes later, brief yellow flag caused by a mistake by Paul Aron at the Roggia variant. The Alpine driver spun, but quickly regained his pace.
The session was interrupted by a red flag for gravel on the track
Le Classic Ferrari for sale They were among the first to take to the track. For a few minutes, they were the fastest on the track. Then, however, their rivals gained the upper hand. In this FP1 of the Italian GP, However, the Reds are gradually working on their performance. Leclerc's time, with almost half an hour to go, demonstrates this, moving him from the middle of the pack to second place. Ferrari, like the other teams, also has committed to bringing specific aerodynamic specifications. In fact, the front wing features two new flaps, ready to reduce aerodynamic drag to gain on the long straights that characterize the Monza circuit.
Mercedes, instead, on medium tires still shows little lap performance. In fact, both cars found themselves relegated to the second half of the standings with half an hour to go. In the meantime, however, most of the cars had returned to the pits to fit the red tires. However, drivers are struggling to find the limits of the track and their cars. Many cars are still having slipping problems. In fact, the track is still lightly rubberized, as a heavy thunderstorm hit Milan and Monza overnight. However, some off-track excursions have left gravel on the surface, especially on the Ascari section. For this reason, with almost twenty minutes to go, the race marshals showed the red flag.
The session ends with a Ferrari one-two
Leclerc noticed by race direction. The Monegasque was on his flying lap when the red flag was shown and, in an attempt to slow down, as per the regulations, he overtook a Sauber that was going very slowly. However, he should not be penalized. Meanwhile, track activity resumed at 14:13 PM. Some drivers had not yet tried the soft tires, while others had only used them for a few training laps, only to be interrupted by the red flag. Despite all this, Charles Leclerc returned to the track to set the fastest time of the session. Lewis Hamilton finished third. Russell settled for sixth, while Antonelli failed to rejoin the top ten.
McLaren still remains in the shadows, with Norris and Dunne sitting in fifth and sixteenth positions respectively. Williams, on the other hand, confirms its good performanceCarlos Sainz, in fact, set the third fastest time with almost five minutes to go. Finally, just minutes before the end of FP1 at the Italian GP, Lewis Hamilton set a great lap, taking first place. The first free practice sessions ended like this: The two Ferraris of Hamilton and Leclerc are in the lead, followed by Sainz and Verstappen. He also gained ground towards the end Kimi Antonelli in fifth place. The other Mercedes, however, was forced to stop on the grass before the Roggia chicane with just seconds to go. Russell suddenly lost power, victim of yet another reliability problem with a Mercedes power unit.
